Newly recruited staff of  Fidelity Bank Plc who are currently undergoing their induction in the bank’s training school, at the weekend, demonstrated their readiness to be good members of the Fidelity family by keying into the bank’s vision for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

The bank has a unique CSR model called the Helping Hands Programme, which encourages staff of all branches and units to identify with their communities by supporting them in their various areas of need, including people with challenges.

This batch of inductees raised money on their own and at the weekend visited the Modupe Cole School for the Mentally and Physically-Challenged Children in Akoka, Lagos State, where they donated television sets, DVD players, washing machines, fans and food items to the students.

In the address of the Managing Director, Mr. Reginald Ihejiahi, read by Miss. Irunna Ejibe, Head of Learning & Development, he explained that the bank decided to establish a bottom-up structure for CSR rather than running it as head office affair.

He stressed that the initiative challenges every member of Team Fidelity to be good, responsible and supportive member of the community in which the bank does business.  “That is why CSR has become a vital part of the induction curriculum”, he said.

The Principal of the school, Mrs.F.A. Durowoju, while receiving the gifts on behalf of the staff and students of the school, thanked Fidelity Bank for its kind gestures.  Durowoju who was represented by Mr. M.A. Adeife, noted that the key thing was not bringing the gifts but showing love by visiting and identifying with the children.  “What the children need more is love because some of them are in the state in which they are because they were not shown adequate love”.

In his remark, the Class Governor of the inductees, Mr. Yanju Defemi said his colleagues are happy to put smiles on the faces of the students in the school adding that the class picked interest in the Fidelity Helping Hand Programme immediately they were educated on its philosophy, as he described their visit to the school as an eye opener.

“Right now, the mood of the class is somber because these are the people the society hides from you. You don’t get to see them every day and it is easy for you to forget they exist. As such, the visit made us see the vanity of our complaints and worries. Oh, I don’t have a car; oh, I have not built my house; now you are seeing people who cannot work nor do things on their own, so it is somber.